Shoe lasting machines



Jam 4, 1956 G. J. MARQUIS ETAL 3,226,746

SHOE LASTING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 f /e/ s@ Filed Nov. 2o. 196s fnvenors: Gerard J Mara/S Fra/1K 14./ ln/e .Bg /ve/'rtorney Jan. 4, 1966 G, J, MARQUls ETAL 3,226,746

` sHoE LAsTING MACHINES 2 t e e h s S t e e h S A, 4

Filed NOV. 20, 1965 Jam 4, 1965 G. J. MARQUIS ETAL 3,226,746

SHOE LASTING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 20, 1963- Jan 4, 1966 G. J. MARQUIS ETAL 3,226,746

SHOE LASTING MACHINES Filed NOV. 20, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent O M SHUE LASTING MACHINES Gerard J. Marquis, Arlington, and Frank W. Wetherhee, Hamilton, Mass., assignors to United Shoe Machinery forporation, Boston, Mass., a corporation of New ersey Filed Nov. zo, 1963, ser. N0. 324,991

3 claims. (ci. 1z12) ,1

3,225,746 Patented Jan. 4,' 1966 `example thereof is disclosed in said application. As \1llustrated, the machine is provided with a shoe rest'20 `(FIG. 3) adapted to support the forepart of a shoe comprising an upper and an insole assembled on a last. The machine is further provided with gripper units (not shown) `arranged to grip the upper at opposite sides of `the forepart and also gripper units 21 adapted to tension the upper at theball and shank regions of the last. Relative heightwise movement between the grippers and the shoe support in any convenient manner acts to tension the upper for shaping about the last. After tensioning the upper is clamped against the last by side clamps 25 and by a toe pad 27. At this point in the operation of i the machine the bottom of the last with an insole assemhaving wipers adapted to operate o n the forepart of they shoe as well as Wipers for operating upon ball portions of* the shoe bottom where the substantially flat forepart curves heightwise toward the heel end of the shoe. The ball wipers are mounted on arms which are adapted to swing widthwise of the machine independently of the action of the forepart wipers. The arms carrying the ball wipers are actuated by iiuid operated motors which permit a wide exibility of control for timing and cordination between the operation of the forepart wipers and the ball wipers. e t

Machines of this type have found increasing acceptance due to their capability oflasting around the entire forepart of the shoe from points slightly heelward of the ball region. However, to" complete the lasting of shoes under normal conditions after being operated upon by such a machine two more lasting ope-rations must be performed at the heel end and atthe shank portion. Accordingly, it is a general object lof the invention to greatly extend the usefulness of such machines with the elimination of one or the separate `lasting operations by the provision of simple and eliicient devices for lasting the shank portion of the shoe concurrently with the lasting operations performed by the machines on the fo-repart and ball regions. To this end the ball wipers have connected thereto flexible plates which extend theball Wiping surfaces smoothly over the shank area of the shoe bottom. A* v According to one feature of the invention, the plates are hingedly connected to the ball wipers for height-wise adjustment to'suit the lengthwise contour of a variety of shoe bottoms. Another feature provides meansfor pressing the plates and hence also the heelward ends of the ball wipers iirmly against the shoe bottom with a bedding pressure after the upper has been `jwipedrinwardly over the ball and shank regions. t

e The above and otherfeatures of the invention includingnovel Vdetails of Yconstruction and arrangement of parts will now be more particularly described with reference to the;accompanying'drawings and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a typical machine having forepart and ball lasting means and also embodying the shank lasting means of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view on an enlarged scale showing the positions of various parts after operation of the wiping instrumentalities;

FIG. 3 is an end elevation partly in section taken substantially on line III-III of FG. 1; and,

FIG. 4 is a view partly in section taken substantially on line IV-IV of FIG. 2.

One preferred form of the invention is shown as embodied in a machine for lasting shoes of which a typical bled thereon is positioned in the same plane as a pai-r of forepart `wipers 26 which are advanced and closed to `wipe the tensioned upper inwardly over the edge of the forepart of the insole. The upper surface of each forepart wiper 26 has resting thereon the inner edge of a ball wiper 28 which curves heightwise toward the heel end of the shoe from the plane of the forepart wiper so that a substantially Vcontinuous surface is presented to the shoe bottom to wipe the upper over both the forepart and the ball portions of the vshoe bottom. A heel rest 30` is generally similar in operation to that of the abovementioned application not only provides support for the shoe against the wiper advancing and closing forces but also acts as a gage which uses the heel end of the shoe as a reference point relative to which the ball wipers are spaced according to the size of shoe to be operated upon.

The forepart wipers 26 may be mounted in any convenient manner for advancing and closing movements to wipe the margin of the tensioned upper across the edge of the shoe bott-om.V The ball wipers 28 each comprise a flexible plate having an irregular outline substantially as in FIG. 1. Along its outer edge this plate is secured to an `inclined surface of an arm 38 in a manner fully disclosed in-said application. The surface on the arm and hence also the wiper 28 is inclined away from its inner edge at an angle seen in FIG. 3 which suits the average lateral curvature of any shoe bottom. The heel end of the ball wiper curves heightwise from the upper surface of the associated forepart wiper 26 so that there is formed a substantially continuous surface adapted to wipe the entire forepart as well as the ball region along one side ofthe shoe bottom where the substantially iiat forepart curves heightwise toward the heel end of the shoe. Each of the ball wipe-rs 28 at its heelward end is provided with a hinged connection 31 on which a shank wiper plate 32'is pivoted, for heightwise movement, relative to the general plane lof the ball wiper. The plate 32 is provided at its inner edge with a downturned curved lip 34 adapted to smoothly engage the upper, the lip being provided with a series of slots 36 so as to avoid st1ifening the tlexible characteristics of the plate.

Each of the arms 88 is fulcrumed at 9h on a bracket 92 So that the ball wiper and its associated shank wiping plate 32 may be swung inwardly to wipe the upper under the shoe bottom at the ball and shank regions. The brackets 92 extend inwardly from a pair of slides 94 mounted for movement lengthwise of the shoe in guideways 96 formed at opposite sides of the machine in a cover plate. Each slide is connected to one end of a ilexible cab-le 114 which at its other end is connected to the heel rest 30 in a manner fully disclosed in said application. 'Movementrof the heel rest 30 from the position seen in FIG. l1 into engagement with the heel end of the shoe as seen in FIG. 2, acts to measure the shoe length and to impart a proportional movement to the slides 94 causing the positions of the ball wipers 28 and shank wiper plates 32 to Ibe set in predetermined positions lengthwise of the shoe according to its size.

As the forepart wipers 26 are advanced and closed widthwise from the positions seen in FIG. 1 to those seen in FIG. 2 to wipe the upper around the forepart, the ball Wipers 28 and their associated shank wiping plates 32 are also swung widthwise to wipe the upper over the ball and shank regions of the shoe bottom. To this end the arms 88 are provided with hook shaped extensions 121 (FIG. y1) which are connected by pins 123 to piston rods 131 extending from cylinders 133 fulcrumed at one end on brackets 127 secured to the machine frame. The pins 123 are received in slots 135 in the extensions 121 to permit the slides 94 and hence also the arms 88 and the ball and shank wipers 28, 32 to be adjusted lengthwise of the shoe during the size gaging movement of the heel rest 30. Admission of air to the cylinders 133 through a pipe 137 while the wipers 26 are closing also causes the arms 88 to be swung inwardly and carry the ball and shank wipers 28, and 32 inwardly under the shoe bottom.

After the ball and shank wipers have been moved inwardly to the positions shown in FIG. 2, so that the margin of the upper has been wiped to its nal position under the shoe bottom, the shank wiping plates 32 and due to the hinge connection 31 also the heelward ends of the ball wipers are pressed upwardly against the shoe bottom to impart a firm bedding pressure to the upper. To this end each of the arms 8S is provided with a lug having a pin 50 (FIG. 3) on which is fulcrumed an arm 52. The arm 52 extends outwardly of the machine and is provided with a pin 54 on which is pivoted a pressure plate 56 extending inwardly and under the associated ball wiping plate 32. The inner end of the plate 56 is provided with a button S by which engagement is made with the underside of the wiper plate 32. The pressure plate is further provided with an adjusting screw 60 which bears at its lower end against the arm 52 so that the plate 56 may be adjusted about the pin 54 heightwise with respect to the arm to vary the disposition of the shank wiping plate 32 to suit the lengthwise contour of the shank portion of the shoe bottom. The outer end of the arm 52 is engaged by the lower end of a piston rod 62 which extends from a cylinder 64 carried by a bracket 66 secured to the extension 121 of the arm 88. After the ball and shank wiper plates 28, 32 have been swung inwardly to their nal position under the shoe bottom air or -other suitable fluid is admitted to the upper end of the cylinder 64 through a pipe connection 68. This swings the arm 52 and plate 56 clockwise as seen in FIG. 3, about the pin 50 causing the wiper plate 32 to be pressed against the underside of the shoe bottom, thereby imparting a firm bedding pressure to both the shank wiping plate 32 and the heelward end of the ball Wiper 28.

After a predetermined time delay during which the bedding pressure is applied to the shoe `bottom through the shank wiping plates, the pressure uid is exhausted from the cylinders 64 relieving the bedding pressure against the underside of the shank wiping plates 32 and 4thereafter tluid is exhausted from the pipes 137 (FIG. l) of the cylinders 133 while air is admitted through pipes 138 causing the arms 88 carrying the ball and shank wipers to be swung outwardly to their initial positions shown in FIG. 1. At this time the forepart wipers 26 are also returned to their initial positions and the toe pad 27 and the heel l rest 30 are released from the shoe, completing the operative cycle of the machine during which the shoe has been lasted from the heel breast line entirely around the forcpart of the shoe.

Having thus described our invention, what is claimed as novel and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a shoe lasting machine, the combination with a pair of wipers movable widthwise of a shoe for wiping the margin of an upper inwardly over the ball region of a shoe bottom; of a pair of tlexible plates hingedly connected to the heelward ends of the wipers for movement relative to the wipers heightwise of the shoe bottom, said plates extending heelwardly for wiping engagement with the shank portion of the upper, and means effective after inward movements of the ball wipers and their associated plates have wiped the margin of the upper over the ball and shank portions of the shoe bottom for pressing the plates and hence also the heelward ends of the ball wipers heightwise against the shoe bottom.

2. In a shoe lasting machine having a ball wiping mechanism including a pair of arms each carrying a wiper for swinging movement widthwise of a shoe for wiping the margin of an upper inwardly over the ball regions of the sh-oe bottom, the combination therewith of a pair of lexible plates each extending heelwardly from and being hingedly connected to the end of an associated one of the wipers for movement relative to the wiper heightwise of the shoe bottom, and means effective after widthwise movement of the wipers and their associated plates have wiped the margin of the ball and shank portions of the upper over the shoe bottom for swinging the plates heightwise for causing the plates and the heelward ends of their associated wipers to press the upper against the ball and shank portions of the shoe bott-om.

3. In a machine for lasting shoes having a ball wiping mechanism including a pair of arms each carrying a ball wiper for swinging movement widthwise of a shoe, and means for swinging the arms widthwise of the shoe for wiping the opposite sides of the margin of a shoe upper inwardly over the ball portions of the bottom of the shoe, the combination therewith including a pair of exible plates each extending heelwardly from and being hngedly connected to the end of an associated one of the ball Wipers for unitary widthwise movement therewith and for swinging movement relative thereto heightwise of the shoe bottom, each of the arms having a lever pivoted thereon with one end of the lever underlying the associated exible plate and with the other end arranged to be actuated for causing the heelward ends of said plates to be pressed heightwise toward the shank portion of the shoe bottom after the ball wipers and their associated plates have wiped the upper inwardly over the shoe bottom.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 277,664 5/1883 Beal 12-12 1,110,315 9/1914 Eldridge 12-12 2,955,302 8/1960 Schoenmakers 12-12 3,082,449 3/1963 Bowler et al. 12-12 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A SHOE LASTING MACHINE, THE COMBINATION WITH A PAIR OF WIPERS MOVABLE WIDTHWISE OF A SHOE FOR WIPING THE MARGIN OF AN UPPER INWARDLY OVER THE BALL REGION OF A SHOE BOTTOM; OF A PAIR OF FLEXIBLE PLATES HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO THE HEELWARD ENDS OF THE WIPERS FOR MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE WIPERS HEIGHTWISE OF THE SHOE BOTTOM, SAID PLATES EXTENDING HEELWARDLY FOR WIPING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SHANK PORTION OF THE UPPER, AND MEANS EFFECTIVE AFTER INWARD MOVEMENTS OF THE BALL WIPERS AND THEIR ASSOCIATED PLATES HAVE WIPED THE MARGIN OF THE UPPER OVER THE BALL AND SHANK PORTIONS OF THE SHOE BOTTOM FOR PRESSING THE PLATES AND HENCE ALSO THE HEELWARD ENDS OFD THE BALL WIPERS HEIGHTWISE AGAINST THE SHOE BOTTOM. 